Longmont man sentenced to 40 years in 2007 murder of girlfriend

George Ruibal maintains his innocence in Dana Pechin's death

Laurie Siegrist hugs Kris Ferrill, right, after George Ruibal received a 40-year prison sentence in the 2007 murder of Siegrist's sister-in-law, Dana Pechin, on Thursday in Boulder. (Matthew Jonas/Times-Call)

BOULDER — A Boulder District judge on Thursday morning sentenced a 58-year-old man to 40 years in prison for the 2007 beating and strangulation death of his girlfriend.

Boulder District Judge Thomas Mulvahill told George Ruibal that if the lengthy prison term amounts to Ruibal spending the rest of his life in prison, then that is the “natural consequence of your murder of Dana Pechin.”

A Boulder County jury convicted Ruibal of second-degree murder in November after listening to more than a week of testimony and argument.

Mark Siegrist, Pechin's brother, said the family was pleased with Ruibal's sentence.

George Ruibal appears in Boulder District Court in April for a court hearing. He was convicted in the 2007 murder of his girlfriend Dana Pechin in November and sentenced to 40 years in prison on Thursday. (Lewis Geyer/Times-Call)

“Forty years is a good number,” he said. “It is a very good number.”

Mulvahill told Ruibal that his history of domestic violence with other women played into the sentencing decision.

“What you did to Dana Pechin was brutal. It was savage. She was beaten repeatedly, and the number of injuries noted by the coroner was remarkable. It was shocking. It caused massive trauma, particularly to Ms. Pechin's head and skull,” Mulvahill told Ruibal.

Ruibal and a co-worker reported finding Pechin dead in the couple's shared apartment on Dec. 10, 2007. Ruibal told acquaintances and police that Pechin had left their apartment on her own to go to Albertsons and had returned later, beaten. He reported that he cared for her wounds and sat with her as she tried to recover on the couch, police reported. He also told police that after she had been hurt, she had moved around their apartment, made breakfast and completed other tasks.

Dana Pechin

Longmont police Detective Bryan Franke testified during the trial that Pechin never appeared on any surveillance video from the grocery store and former medical examiner John Meyer testified that, given the extent of Pechin's injuries, it was unlikely she was able to do the tasks Ruibal described.

The judge noted that Pechin suffered while she died on the couch.

In 2007, police investigated the possibility that Pechin had been in a car wreck because of the extent of her injuries. However, Meyer concluded her wounds, including strangulation, were caused by another person and ruled her death a homicide. Ruibal wasn't arrested until 2011 after a cold-case review that led to a Boulder County grand jury indictment.

Ruibal's defense attorney, Eric Klein, said during the trial that Ruibal was innocent of the charge and that another man likely beat Pechin while she was away from the apartment. Klein said Thursday that Ruibal maintains his innocence.

Klein added that it was an honor to defend Ruibal, whose daughter also spoke on his behalf. She said her father was always there for her.

“This is a man who would give you his last dollar,” Klein said. “To this day there is not one shred of direct evidence linking Mr. Ruibal to the death of Ms. Pechin.”

He added that Ruibal also lost someone he loved when Pechin died.

Pechin's brother, Neil Siegrist, recalled his sister during a brief statement to the judge before sentencing. He said Pechin struggled at times, “but she was a very caring person, a great cook, and always remembered birthdays with a call or a card.”

Pechin's friends testified during the trial that Pechin was happy and fun, but enjoyed alcohol through most of her day. She lived in a camper in a scrap yard before moving in with Ruibal. Prosecutor Tim Johnson said Pechin's independence frustrated Ruibal because he could not control her. The beating, which would prove fatal, was an exercise of control, he said.

“It is not something of which there were one or two blows delivered to Dana Pechin,” he said. “There were scores.”

Johnson asked the judge to sentence Ruibal to 40 to 48 years, even though the range would have allowed as little as 16.

Neil Siegrist did not ask for a specific sentence length.

“The court has either seen or heard all the evidence pertaining to the brutality and savagery of her death,” he said. “Consider, if you would, she was your family member — what length of sentence would most gratify you?”

Laurie Siegrist, center, gives a relieved reaction to a 40-year sentence for George Ruibal on Thursday in Boulder. Ruibal was convicted in November of the 2007 murder of Siegrist's sister-in-law, Dana Pechin.
(Matthew Jonas/Times-Call)

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